The whole truth (2016)

Defense attorney Richard Ramsay takes on a personal case when he swears to his widowed friend, Loretta Lassiter, that he will keep her son Mike out of prison. Charged with murdering his father, Mike initially confesses to the crime. But as the trial proceeds, chilling evidence about the kind of man that Boone Lassiter really was comes to light. While Ramsay uses the evidence to get his client acquitted, his new colleague Janelle tries to dig deeper – and begins to realize that the whole truth is something she alone can uncover.

My opinion

“They don’t teach this in law school.
Yes, all witnesses lie.”

“The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God“. How many times have we heard this phrase in some court drama? And that’s also the biggest flaw in this film. Haven’t we seen it all before somewhere? There was only one thing I was asking myself after a while. Who the hell wasn’t lying during this trial? And that’s what Richard Ramsay (Keanu Reeves) tells the newly recruited Janelle (Gugu Mbata-Raw) in the beginning. The fact that witnesses always lie. Except Mike Lassiter (Gabriel Basso). He hasn’t told a lie yet. He kept his mouth shut since the murder. The fact that his handprint is found on the bloody knife his father Boone (Jim Belushi) was killed with, is enough to consider him as the prime suspect.

The movie isn’t really so bad. But it’s all so trivial and known that eventually it feels like you’re watching an average television drama. It’s such a film you subsequently watch again one day and after a while you realize you’ve seen it already. The well-known clichés that go with such a crime story, are of course present. You can already assume that the main suspect hasn’t done it. Of course you start to focus on another character who could steal the first prize as the prime suspect. And then finally as the plot unfolds, you’ll realize you were completely wrong about everything. Although I found the result quite logical.

In the past I sometimes secretly enjoyed an episode of “LA Law”. The way a lawsuit developed, with flamboyant lawyers trying to come up with shreds of evidence in a canny way, so they could obtain the acquittal for their client. Not that it was always so terribly exciting, but the overall atmosphere with the intellectual arguments and lyrical lawyers appealed to me. Again, this intellectual posturing is used by Reeves and his colleagues. And actually Reeves is best suited for this type of role. His reserved and stoic calm attitude makes him an ideal candidate. In addition he has this steely expression where you can’t detect any emotion. That comes in handy as a lawyer. I’m sure that if he hadn’t tried to find his luck in Hollywood, he could have been a damn good lawyer. At least I thought this was a more successful performance than him playing the detective in “Exposed“.

The only ones who really shined in this movie were Jim Belushi and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Belushi plays the annoying, arrogant Boone who loves to place himself on a pedestal and as the dominant family head tortures and humiliates his wife Loretta (Renée Zellweger) psychologically. He isn’t afraid to use physical violence as well once and a while. He’s a despotic person who doesn’t tolerate any contradiction. Until a sharp knife is planted in his chest. Mbatha-Raw plays Reeves’ hastily recruited sidekick who apparently has a natural lie detector. Although both parts seem fairly limited or void, their influence on the entire history is significant. Unlike Zellweger who really looks old in this movie and also plays a not so impressive role (every other leading actress could have done the job).

“The whole truth” is a trite legal spectacle that results in an ordinary guessing game. That is guessing who’s the ultimate culprit. Even the generally marvelous interacting cast can’t avoid it to be completely boring with nothing spectacular happening. Most of the time it takes place in a courtroom. That’s quite evidently and not surprising. The attempt to contrive a denouement that looks like a huge surprise, so you’ll be amazed by the final revelation, wasn’t such a success. Are you a big fan of this type of movies? In that case this will be a pleasant treat. However, don’t expect too much. “The whole truth” certainly won’t create a new precedent in the world of court dramas.

Thrilling trailers

Movie Newsflashes

Sharwanand’s look in Ranarangam unveiled25 May 2019 13:57Indian ExpressRanarangam first look: The Sharwanand starrer will be released on August 2, 2019.
The first look and teaser of actor Sharwanand’s next film Ranarangam was unveiled on Saturday.
Sharwanand took to his Facebook page to share the teaser of the Sudheer Varma …

A big screen festival for little ones25 May 2019 13:56Sydney Morning HeraldEddie Tamir is aware that kids' flicks don't always have the most sterling reputation among parents. He is hoping the Children’s International Film Festival will change that.
"What I've seen before, what I've probably done before, is …

Terminator 6: What We Know So Far About Dark Fate25 May 2019 13:54Cinema BlendThe Terminator first said "I'll be back" in 1984. He was right, several times over, but I can't say I expected him to still be back 35 years later. Turns out, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and franchise co-creator James Cameron …

John Wick: Chapter 4 Just Got Some Major Opening Weekend Competition25 May 2019 13:54Cinema BlendAfter only a week at the box office, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum has already surpassed the earnings of the first film’s entire theatrical run. It was also the first film to dethrone Avengers: Endgame for the #1 weekend rank after almost a month. So …

You changed my life forever: Anupam to Mahesh Bhatt25 May 2019 13:45Can India NewsMumbai, May 25 (IANS) Veteran actor Anupam Kher credits his flourishing career in Bollywood to filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who directed him in the 1984 acclaimed film “Saaransh”.
“Saaransh”, which has clocked 35 years of its release in the Hindi film industry, …

Oviyavai Vitta Yaaru movie review: Watchable to some extent25 May 2019 13:45The Asian AgeThe film had a title Seeni and started before Oviya became famous with her stint in Bigg Boss.
Rating:
Direction: Rajadurai
Cast: Sanjeevi, Oviya, Radha Ravi
The film had a title Seeni and started before Oviya became famous with her stint in Bigg Boss. …

Trailers of the Week: ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’...25 May 2019 13:36Stamford AdvocatePhoto: Andrew Cooper/Columbia Pictures
Photo: Andrew Cooper/Columbia Pictures
Photo: Andrew Cooper/Columbia Pictures
Trailers of the Week: ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ ‘Star Trek: Picard’
Has it really been less than a week since HBO …

'Photograph' develops a gentle romance between two strangers25 May 2019 13:27www.madison.comRitesh Batra’s films might be considered romantic comedies, except they’re not quite romantic and they’re not quite comedies. With ‘The Lunchbox,” “Our Souls at Night” and now “Photograph,” Batra focuses on films about two strangers who meet in unlikely …

How to plan a family D-Day weekend in Normandy25 May 2019 13:17Daily MailThe flags are going up, the mowers are out and the cafe owners are stocking up on beer and cider — as they always do ahead of June 6 every year.
The anniversary of D-Day stirs powerful mixed emotions here in Normandy. It is both a celebration of the …

More

About Me

I’m Peter.
Born in 1966.
And living in Belgium.
I’ve been married to Veronika for 10 years already.
And together we have two lovely kids , Karolien and Filip.
And guess what ….. I’m a big movie-fan. Who could have guessed that!
As long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by the medium film. And the number of movies I’ve seen till now, is even unknown to me.